Baja Cantina

All right this one is about Mexican Cuisine. Well, after a series of food outing involving Indian, Thai, Korean and Pizza’s, I was finding it suffocating to think what else I can have. I wanted a change.  A change that would involve having something new, not curries, and not stir fry’s.

Well, it was a Saturday and we came over to Broadway for a movie. After the movie, we took a walk on the Glebe Point Road and were fascinated by the great and relaxing environment. I was with my mother and brother and I loved Glebe. Not too crowded like Newtown. Quite peaceful and relaxing. There was a good mix of  cuisines, Turkish, Vietnamese, Pub Food and Indian and Nepalese.

 

We were in the mood for Mexican and there were two options. The Flying Fajita Sisters and the Baja Cantina. Lucky for me, there were discounts from the entertainment book. A quick look into a few Urban spoon blogs and I some how was very confused about where to eat. In one of the blogs, I got more favorable reviews for Baja Cantina and decided to go for it.  Well let me tell you, right from  in the vening when I went past, it was just full. Buzzing with all the activity and noise and chitter. We arrived half an hour later, once we made up our mind.  When we came over, we were told there was only an option in the open air Beer Garden at the rear of the restaurant.  The inside seating was all reserved. Now with a great evening which it was and with a slight breeze, sitting outside was quite the thing to do.

The interiors of the restaurant are very colorful. Two adjacent shops which have been joined and with bright orange and red walls, topped with streotyped Mexican show pieces like the Mexican bull fighting caps and wooden carvings. The music matched the ambience with light tunes on the guitars. As we walked across through the restaurant in to a thin corridor pastthe kitchen and the washrooms into the back garden, trust me I loved the ambience. Wooden cottages, and small minibar along with a another portion with green grass and a little garden. The ambience just one my heart. I was suspecting that a beer garden may not be appropriate for sitting with my mum and brother, but,  this was just great. Not too lound, a few families enoying the sangria or the margherita’s .

As we settled in we had a waiter coming over and serving the menu. Now the menu had quite a few options in terms of starters etc. Let me just say what we begun with. For the starters, we ordered the Baja’s Famous Nacho’s. Now normally it includes corn ships with black beans and avocado and sour cream, but there were options for adding chicken or other meat with a few more dollars. We settled for the chicken Nachos. The second starters we ordered is the salt and pepper calamari variant. For main course we settled for the fajita’s.

Well to be honest we were not superbly hungry initially, but the walk around glebe and the waiting time after the order did induce hunger in us. While it worked out for us, but yes the wait time can be quite long at times when its quite full.

Now once the food started getting served, it all came together. The main course and the appetisers. I wished the appetizers came before the starters. The salt and pepper calamari served was hot a fresh and served with rocket leaves and a dip, which I suspect was aioli.  The calamari was good, fresh and crunchy. It was a bit too chewy and may be that the way calamari is. I liked it, but nothing out of the world. Next time would I order it? May be no.

The next was the Baja’s famous Nacho’s with shredded Chicken. Now this one was heavenly. Out of world. Warm corn chips and with a  generous serving of molten cheese, grilled chicken. With two large dollops of avocado and sour cream, each swig of nacho chips with cheese, beans, chicken and topped with sour cream was heavenly. In fact this was the best dish of the evening.  The salsa and the hot jalapeno’s added to the heat. And if you want more, just ask them for the bottled hot sauce.  Too good and highly recommended. And caution, the Just one starter is good enough to share for two. For one, it could be the only dish.

Now coming to Fajitas. For me, it was a bit interesting as these were DIY fajitas. There was a large plate served with favored rice, black beans, lettuce, shredded cheese, fresh tomatoes. A small bowl of salsa and a cloth packet which had three tortillas inside it. Two dollops of sour cream and guacomole. Just when we thought this is too much to pack into three small fajitas, the waiter arrived with another sizzler plate filed with grilled chicken, red and green capsicum and onions. Now the quantity is so high, that again, it is purely for sharing. The way I work is that you take the tortilla, load it with rice, beans, lettuce and the cheese, top it with the chicken and create a fajita. Well, I liked it. I wish the salsa was a bit more spicy, but nonetheless, the fajita was good. The chicken in particular was great, flavored and smoked. I think we were so full by the end of it, that we might have done a bit of over eating.

My overall take was that it was great food and ambience. Mexican food is great, although I wish it was a bit hotter, but we could do that with the sauces. I loved this place. Great value for money. Two starters and one main course, that left us struggling to finish and costing just $50, was superb.

All in all, I loved it.

Would I recommend? Yes. Would I go there again? For sure.

43~45 Glebe Point Road

Call 9571 1199 ~ open every day from 6pm.

Saturdays open from 12pm for lunch

http://www.bajacantina.com.au/home